The January 2014 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Francijn of “Koken in de Brouwerij“. She challenged us all to bake layered cakes in the tradition of Baumkuchen (tree cake) and Schichttorte (layered cake).

Baumkuchen (German for tree cake) is a layered cake that is cooked on a big spit. Even layers of the batter are brushed on the spit and then it is rotated next to a heat source. Each layer is allowed to brown before a new layer of batter is poured.When the cake is removed and sliced, each layer is divided from the next by a golden line, resembling the growth rings on a crosscut tree, hence the name “tree cake”.

Schichttorte (layered cake, Schicht means layer) is a simple version of Baumkuchen, with horizontal layers. The Schichttorte is baked in a pan and the layers are smeared on top of each other resulting in a flat multi-layered cake.

I chose to make a spin off the Schichttorte that is called Spekkoek or more popularly lapis legit.It is a (Dutch-Indonesian) version of Baumkuchen and contains a mix of spices between the thin layers of cake. I found the recipe on lakii forum, it was posted by a wonderfully talented lady called Hind.

I changed the proportions of the chocolate spice mix and the topping. I topped my cake with homemade dulce de leche and crumbled toasted pecans. The combination of the caramel frosting, light cake layers, warm cinnamon and cocoa notes and the crunch of the pecans made this cake simply irresistible!

Cinnamon layer cake with caramel frosting

Ingredients

For the cake

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Spice mix

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee

Caramel frosting

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C and place your rack in the middle.

2. Brush your pan with oil and sprinkle it with flour

3.Beat the eggs with the sugar, vanilla, and oil until pale

4. Add the milk and beat until combined

5. Add the baking powder to the flour and whisk to combine

6.Add the flour and baking powder to the liquid mixture and beat until the flour is incorporated

7. Pour 3/4 cup of the batter in the prepared pan

8. Bake the first layer until a cake tester comes out clean (8- 10 minutes)

9. Mix the spices and cocoa powder and sprinkle 1-2 table spoons of it on the first layer

10 Pour another 3/4 cup of the batter on top of the first layer. Tilt the pan to make sure the batter covers the first layer completely

11.Place the pan back in the oven but this time turn the broiler on instead of the lower flame

12. Bake the second layer until the top is golden brown

13.Repeat until all batter is used. If you need to flatten a bubble insert a tooth pick or similar to deflate the bubble.

14.Let the cake cool down completely

To make the caramel frosting

Place the can of sweetened condensed milk after removing the paper label in a pot and add enough hot water to get the water level to 2 cm higher than the level of the can

Place the pot over medium heat for 2 hours. Make sure to check on the water level every 2o minutes or so. Add more water when needed.

After the two hours take the can out of the water and allow it to cool completely.

The result is an amazing dulce de leche that will really test your self control 🙂

Top the cake with the caramel frosting and crumble some pecans or walnuts if you like

The cake actually tastes better the second day (if there is any left that is :))

There are so many ways to get creative with this cake.You can substitute the spice mix with finely ground nuts. You can divide the batter in half and color them in different colors or you can make one half plain and the other with chocolate and then alternate the layers.

G’day! Looks terrific Sawsan and congrats on completing the challenge, true!
In the heatwave (once again) cooking and baking is a tad difficult to do!
Cheers! Joanne
Great photos and thanks for always inspiring me too!

Helene D’Souza from Masala Herb did a cake like this not too long ago and I thought it was brilliant. I haven’t made it yet but your cake and hers must be a sign that I need to give this a try. I love the idea of baking and then broiling the top. It does look like layers.

I had no idea that the Indonesian cake originated from the German one, thank you for the insight. I’ve baked a couple of versions of the Indonesian Lapis Legit, the first being the traditional version with spices and the second was with hazelnut and chocolate alternating layers. What I really like about your version is that it doesn’t have as many eggs as the Indonesian one! In fact, you may recall I had a very hard time finding a recipe with as few as 6 large eggs! The Hungarians have Dobos Torte which is a seven-layer cake filled with a chocolate butter cream, topped with hard caramel and toasted hazelnuts. Even the Hungarian Cake takes several eggs!
I am again tempted to make one of your recipes Sawsan! and Sweets are the last thing I need in the house right now!

Looks wonderful! I participated in this challenge as well but I baked each layer and ended up carefully cutting off the bottom couple of layers because they overcooked. I decided that next time I will use the broiler for sure and I see that’s what you used. Wonderful! Delicious! Great challenge! I am on wordpress as well: http://therapybread.com/2014/01/28/baumkuchen-or-schichttorte-german-tree-cake/

I’d like to try making this cake but I have a question about baking the additional cake layers. Is it really necessary to bake them using the broiler rather than continuing to use the regular baking function of the oven. I seem to remember your saying (in your fatayer post?) that your oven doesn’t do a good job of top browning so that’s how you finished your baked goods.

Hi Sawsan, this looks like a fairly easy and delicious recipe to try. I am a huge fan of dulce de leche so I had to go through the recipe as soon as I saw the pictures! I always read your recipes and look at the pictures of all the dishes you make and they look so professional and elaborate that I have never dared to try any of them. It seems like this could be a great opportunity to change that! Thank you for sharing your dedication and passion for cooking!

I made this cake last weekend. Wow! It was so amazing. My husband loved it so much. It is a lengthy process but was definitely worth the effort. It’s not something I can make all the time but is a perfect choice for special guests or when I really want to treat my family to something different.

[…] Not only is Sawnson a orthondondist (fancy dentist :)) but she is also an amazing cook & baker – with her blog showcasing some amazing technical skill! PLUS she is also mom to 2 children… so basically wonderwoman…. full-time job, mom AND phenomenal in the kitchen! Just to prove my point – she is part of clubs called the “daring cooks” & “daring bakers” – whereby they challenge each other to make “more” difficult bakes than the average person can handle – particularly impressed with her chimney cake, Nutella twists & Schichttorte (layered cake). […]

[…] ever made! In a category that includes the Austrain Sachertorte, the Sweedish prinsesstarta, the layered cholocolate cake with caramel frosting only to name a few. That is an impressive title and I have to say that the cake deserves […]

Thank you so much for the clear pictures, the instructions, and the historical tidbits! I tried this cake for the first time just two days ago, at the local Islamic Centre — where I’m taking beginner Arabic lessons — and the lovely lady who’d made it explained how it was made, and about different variations. The topping on hers was made of cooked dates with a little milk, and sprinkled with walnuts. It was very impressive to behold, and it was delicious. Can’t wait to try making your recipe ☺️

I love the idea of using cooked dates, it is definitely a healthier option with less refined sugars. Wishing you the best of luck in making this cake. If you need any help please feel free to leave me a question in the comments or send me an email

Hello Dear Sawsan I backed this cake last night and it turned out good I wish I could put a picture of mine on line so you could see it. I marbleized the caramel using safran and coco and gave it a zebra pattern.
There are two modifications that I would do next time. It was too sweet so I will cut dawn on sugar and the Cinnamon was overpowering. I could not taste anything else but cinnamon. So I will definitely cut dawn on that. Thanks for the recipe.

This is the third time I am making this. Its fabulous! I am trying a new nutella buttercream icing and seeing how it goes (fingers crossed!). I would like to say the first time I made it was with a glass pyrex and it exploded. So while your picture looks gorgeous in your glass dish, I would advise anyone using American glass to be careful because it cannot take all the broiling and getting in and out of the oven.

Hello Nicole
First of all, really glad you loved the recipe so much 🙂 and thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment.
I am so sorry about your glass pyrex! As you can see in the pictures, I always make mine in a glass pyrex and it works fine but as you mentioned, the quality of the glass can vary from one manufacturer to another and I deeply appreciate the heads up